Fury's Gift
by L1701E
Summary: One-Shot. Set in todd fan's Sidney-Verse. Shortly before the first Christmas after the events of todd fan's "Passing the Torch", Jamie Madrox and Rachel Argosy are given a gift by a surprise benefactor. Read and Review, please!


**Fury's Gift**

 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners. This is just for fun.**

 **Author's Note: This is set before the first Christmas after the events of todd fan's "Passing the Torch".**

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 **Author's Note: This is a retelling of some of the events of Chapter 31 of todd fan's "Passing The Torch"**

" _Make anyone around you think you are invisible." Jamie Madrox ordered as he saw Nick Fury walk up from a nearby building. Rachel Argosy blinked in confusion._

" _Wait, what? Why?" She asked._

" _Just do it." Jamie ordered. He stepped out of the car, and walked up to the spymaster._

" _I take it you have her?" Fury asked. Jamie shook his head._

" _Afraid not."_

" _A complication?"_

" _You could say that." Jamie nodded. "She's dead. The Legacy Virus got her. She went quick. By the time I got to her, she had already been cremated. I was given her ashes, her family didn't want them. If you do, I'll give 'em to you." Fury glanced at Jamie's car, noting it was empty. He heard some music, but that was it. The spymaster grunted._

" _My superiors are gonna be pissed."_

" _Yeah, but what's done is done." Jamie shrugged._

" _Indeed. Well, looks like that's the end of that." Fury agreed. "I don't think bounty hunting's your thing, kid."_

" _No kidding." Jamie muttered as Fury walked away. He headed back to his car and noticed Rachel was still there. The PI looked at her quizzically. "Thought you would have ran. He thinks you're dead."_

" _...why'd you do that?" Rachel asked. "Why'd you help me like that? After what I have done to you?" Jamie found himself thinking about his ex, Gina Tolensky...and her new beau, Kyle Wildfire._

" _A long time ago, Rachel, I had the chance to stop someone I cared about from doing something stupid. I..." He frowned sadly. "I didn't do it. Someone else helped them. I hated him for so long. I thought he was a jackass, but...he was right about something."_

" _About what?"_

" _...I failed someone who needed me." He looked at Rachel. "And I didn't want to make that same mistake again." Rachel blinked for a bit, silence between the two mutants for a while. She then leaned over and kissed his cheek._

" _Thank you." She said sincerely. He gave her a small smile._

" _You're welcome. So, where will you go? I can get you a holowatch so you can hide your appearance..."_

 _A smirk formed on her face. "I hear Mutant Town's pretty good..."_

Jamie Madrox hummed a small tune as he headed towards his apartment in District X, aka Mutant Town. In his hand was a paper bag filled with groceries. The private investigator remembered that after that incident, he let Rachel stay with him as he lived in Mutant Town, and she could hide out there until they could get her on her feet. Boy, did the clone-maker have _fun_ explaining to his fellow co-workers at X-Factor Investigations about her. In the end, he did manage to smooth things over with them.

Jamie looked around, and noticed that there was very little Christmas decorations around. He found himself...feeling a little sad about it.

 _Not surprising, really._ Jamie thought. _This year, there isn't a lot to celebrate. Yeah, Legacy's gone, but it took a lot of lives in the process. Not to mention that not many mutants here want to celebrate "human" holidays anymore, thanks to that Gene Nation cult..._ Jamie shuddered at the mention of Gene Nation. Started by a mysterious mutant called Exodus, Gene Nation was a Scientology-esque religion that quickly gained popularity amongst the residents of Mutant Town. It creeped the clone-maker out. He saw one of the man's revival meetings (in disguise, of course), and to his shock, revived a mutant who died of Legacy. It scared Jamie. The attendants saw Exodus as a savior, preaching mutant independence, but Jamie saw...darker intentions in the fuchsia-skinned mutant's gray eyes. _There's madness in those eyes..._

Jamie wisely kept quiet. In Mutant Town, Exodus was God, and he shall not be blasphemed. He walked into the building and headed to his apartment. When he went inside, he turned on the kitchen light.

"Rachel, I'm home!" He announced. The clone-maker put the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter.

"I hope you remembered to buy some eggs. Yer running low." A familiar voice said.

 _Son of a..._ Jamie turned around and saw Nick Fury sitting at a table, smirking at him.

"Fury."

"How ya doin', Madrox?" Fury asked.

"How the hell did you get in here?"

"I got my ways."

"What do you want?" Jamie scowled. "If you want me to play bounty hunter again, forget it. You yourself said it wasn't for me."

"Nah, wanted to talk to you." Fury said. "About Rachel Argosy."

"What about her?" Jamie frowned. "She's dead."

"Really?" Fury snickered. "Then why is she here? You can come out, Miss Argosy. I ain't gonna hurt you." A blue-haired blue-skinned woman nervously emerged from the bedroom.

"He knew, Jamie. I don't know how, but he knew." She whimpered fearfully.

"Fury, I can explain." Jamie said. "I had a good reason to lie to you."

"I believe that." Fury nodded.

"You're...not here to take me away?" Rachel asked nervously.

"Lady, if SHIELD were here to take you to trial, we'd have already done it."

"So, what is this? Blackmail?" Jamie scowled.

"Hardly." Fury said. "You know what's coming up, right?"

"Christmas." Rachel said.

"Bingo."

"Oh you just wanted to wish us a Merry Christmas." Jamie threw up his hands. "And how did you know?"

"Kid, I've been in the spy business for decades. I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did if I didn't have good instincts for it." Fury chuckled. "She happened to have died when you got to her? Seemed too convenient. Not to mention you had your radio on, playing music." Jamie's jaw dropped.

 _Of_ _ **course!**_ Jamie slapped his forehead. "Rachel can use her powers when there's music playing!"

"Exactly."

"So...if you knew I was alive...why did you let Jamie think he fooled you?" A confused Rachel inquired.

"Because I wanted to know why he wanted to hide you." Fury said. Jamie and Rachel took some seats.

"I did it because...I failed to help someone who needed me. I wasn't going to let that happen again, Fury." Jamie shook his head. "Also...that man dies of a heart attack. Rachel's a mutant. Do you know what the 'justice system' will do to her?" He shook his head bitterly. "They'll put her on Death Row to 'make an example'. And in the court of public opinion, she's already guilty."

"It's true. I've seen the news." Rachel nodded in confirmation. "I hear the talking heads. They call me a monster. A weapon of mass-destruction. A danger to the entire world."

"They had a field day with Legacy." Jamie growled. "Some called it a saving grace. A _saving grace._ " Jamie shook his head. "It killed tons of mutants, and people _cheered_ it." The clone-maker glared at Fury. "You'd _know_ that if you got out of your damn Helicarrier once in a while."

"Kid, you think I _don't_ watch the news?" Fury smirked. "I kept my eye on that whole thing with Argosy here. I heard the talkin' heads, too."

"Then you should get why I lied to you."

"Oh, I do." Fury nodded. "Since Christmas is coming up..." The spymaster smirked and pulled a file folder/suitcase-like thing from his jacket. He placed it on the table and slid it towards them. "I felt like playin' Santa Claus." Rachel blinked at the file folder. She reached towards it, but Jamie stopped her.

"Let me do it. Fury can be tricky." Jamie took the folder and looked it over carefully. Satisfied it wasn't booby-trapped, the clone-maker opened it. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the contents.

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

"You'd better look at this." Jamie handed the folder to her. The blue-skinned woman gasped as she looked over the contest.

"Birth certificate...passport...what...what _is_ all this?"

"It looks like you crafted a new identity for her." Jamie realized.

"Pretty much." Fury explained. "Ya see, I know she's on the lam. It's no way to live a life. Always lookin' over yer shoulder, worryin' whether anyone you talk to will discover who you are and report ya to the cops. Hell of a way to live."

"I've managed so far."

"For the short time you have? But you really intend to spend the rest of your life like that?" Fury asked.

"What's the catch, Fury?" Jamie demanded. "Usually is with you. You want her in your Freedom Force teams? That's the plan, huh? She joins up, gets a new life and identity."

"The catch?" Fury chuckled. "Kid, I've think you've seen one too many spy flicks. Christmas is coming up. I felt like giving a gift to someone who could use it."

"I can't imagine you doing something like this, Fury." Jamie shook his head.

"Glad to surprise ya." Fury got up. "Ya got a new life there, Argosy. Keep yer nose clean."

"I will." Rachel said, a small smile on her face. "Thank you, Fury."

"Yer welcome. Merry Christmas." He headed out of the apartment.

"You too. And be careful out there, Fury." Rachel warned. "You're in Mutant Town. Not everyone out here will be too neighborly towards a human out there on 'their' streets."

Fury chuckled. "Lady, I survived the Nazis. I can handle a bunch of angry superpowers."

"Merry Christmas, Fury." Jamie found himself saying as the head of SHIELD left the apartment. He looked at the documents. "Huh."

"What is it?"

"Even got a holowatch in here." Jamie noted, pulling out said item. It looked like a nice mid-price watch.

"Still a bit untrusting, I see." Rachel smiled at the gift.

"I can't help it." Jamie said. "Fury can be shady."

"I doubt even _he_ is immune to the Christmas spirit." Rachel said. "Besides, look at it like this, Jamie. He does have a point."

"About what?"

"I can't hide from the authorities forever." Rachel said. "At least here I can start again."

"If that is what you want...I'm with you." Jamie agreed.

"Besides, look at it like this. You hid me because you wanted to make up for failing someone you cared about in the past. Maybe doing this is Fury doing something similar."

"...maybe. Maybe he is."

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_


End file.
